# Open-Source Flow Battery for Stationary Storage > [! note]- > The content of this page is generated by audio/video transcription and text transformation from the content and links of this source. Source: [https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6003-flow-battery-research-collective-building-an-open-source-battery-for-stationary-storage/](https://fosdem.org/2025/schedule/event/fosdem-2025-6003-flow-battery-research-collective-building-an-open-source-battery-for-stationary-storage/) <video src="https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h2214/fosdem-2025-6003-flow-battery-research-collective-building-an-open-source-battery-for-stationary-storage.av1.webm" controls></video> ## Summary & Highlights: The session 'Flow Battery Research Collective: Building an Open-Source Battery for Stationary Storage' focuses on the development of a sustainable, open-source battery solution for energy storage. The Flow Battery Research Collective aims to create a battery that is cheaper, safer, and more sustainable than existing technologies. The session covers the basics of flow battery technology, its advantages over lithium-ion batteries, and the collective's progress and future roadmap. **Introduction to Flow Batteries** Flow batteries are introduced as a safer and more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Unlike the latter, flow batteries separate power and capacity, making them more robust and easier to maintain. The session highlights the environmental and safety advantages of flow batteries, which use aqueous solutions that do not catch fire. **Challenges with Current Battery Technologies** The session outlines the limitations of current battery technologies, such as high costs, safety risks, and reliance on problematic minerals. It discusses the need for more transparent and reproducible research in battery development, pointing out the lack of open-source initiatives in this field. **Open-Source Approach and Community Involvement** The collective emphasizes the importance of open-source in democratizing energy storage technology. By making their designs and findings publicly available, they aim to foster community involvement and ensure that their innovations are accessible to researchers worldwide. The session also invites participants to contribute by testing designs and providing feedback. **Future Roadmap and Goals** The session outlines the collective's roadmap, aiming to scale their battery technology for residential use by 2025. They plan to develop larger-scale cells and improve the reproducibility of their designs. The ultimate goal is to provide a viable alternative to commercial batteries that can support renewable energy systems at a larger scale. ## Importance for an eco-social transformation The session is crucial for eco-social transformation as it addresses the need for sustainable energy storage solutions. The open-source nature of the project promotes transparency, accessibility, and community involvement, which are essential for ethical and social innovation. Eco-social designers can leverage this initiative by integrating open-source battery technologies into their projects, fostering more sustainable and resilient energy systems. Challenges include ensuring the technology's scalability and addressing regulatory hurdles that may arise in different regions. Political support and community engagement are key to overcoming these obstacles. ## Slides: | | | | --- | --- | | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_001.jpg\|300]] | The introductory slide presents the Flow Battery Research Collective's mission to build an open-source battery for stationary storage. The team, including Daniel Fernández Pinto, Kirk Smith, and Josh Hauser, collaborates with Utrecht University to develop this innovative technology. The session is part of FOSDEM 2025. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_002.jpg\|300]] | The Flow Battery Research Collective is a new community of researchers and enthusiasts dedicated to democratizing sustainable energy storage technologies. Their goal is to develop an open-source battery for solar and wind energy storage, making these technologies more accessible and affordable. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_003.jpg\|300]] | This slide references a study on lithium-ion batteries, highlighting their widespread use and the challenges associated with their safety and sustainability. The collective aims to address these issues with their flow battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_004.jpg\|300]] | The slide features a link to a blog discussing pristine cross-sections of batteries, which likely illustrates the intricate structure of lithium-ion batteries and the potential safety hazards they pose. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_005.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_006.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_007.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_008.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_009.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_010.jpg\|300]] | The slide explains what a redox flow battery (RFB) is, with a link to an article on grid-scale energy storage. RFBs offer a safer and more sustainable alternative to traditional batteries by using liquid electrolytes stored in external tanks. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_011.jpg\|300]] | This slide discusses the competitive potential of RFBs compared to lithium-ion batteries, highlighting their advantages in safety, affordability, and cycle life despite lower energy density. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_012.jpg\|300]] | The slide outlines the lack of complete open-source flow battery architectures and the reproducibility issues in current research. It emphasizes the need for a standardized, open-source design for large-scale applications. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_013.jpg\|300]] | The roadmap slide details the collective's plans to develop and scale their flow battery technology, aiming for residential-scale applications by mid-2025 and larger-scale systems by the end of the year. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_014.jpg\|300]] | The slide discusses the scale of flow battery systems, emphasizing the potential for scalability from small residential systems to larger installations capable of supporting entire communities. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_015.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_016.jpg\|300]] | The slide presents the first prototypes of the flow battery, detailing the design iterations and improvements made to enhance performance and reliability. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_017.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_018.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_019.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_020.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_021.jpg\|300]] | The slide details the current performance of the flow battery at low concentrations, highlighting the materials and conditions used in testing, such as zinc iodide chemistry and photo paper separators. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_022.jpg\|300]] | This slide presents the performance of the flow battery at medium concentrations, using different materials and conditions to improve energy density and efficiency. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_023.jpg\|300]] | No specific content provided for this slide. It may contain visual data or further details on battery technology. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_024.jpg\|300]] | The slide invites community involvement by encouraging participants to build kits, test 3D printing designs, and contribute to larger-scale cell development, emphasizing the importance of collaborative testing and feedback. | ![[FOSDEM 2025/assets/Flow-Battery-Research-Collective-Building-an-OpenS/preview_025.jpg\|300]] | Acknowledgements are given to the FAIR Battery Team, Kirk Smith, conference organizers, and NLNet's NGI0 Entrust Fund for their support in the development of the open-source flow battery initiative. ## Links [Presentation slides](https://fosdem.org/2025/events/attachments/fosdem-2025-6003-flow-battery-research-collective-building-an-open-source-battery-for-stationary-storage/slides/238468/DanielFP_KQkvdr2.pptx) [Development Kit Repository](https://fbrc.dev) [Project Website](https://fbrc.dev) [Video recording (AV1/WebM)](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h2214/fosdem-2025-6003-flow-battery-research-collective-building-an-open-source-battery-for-stationary-storage.av1.webm) [Video recording (MP4)](https://video.fosdem.org/2025/h2214/fosdem-2025-6003-flow-battery-research-collective-building-an-open-source-battery-for-stationary-storage.av1.mp4) [Video recording subtitle file (VTT)](https://fosdem.org/2025/events/attachments/fosdem-2025-6003-flow-battery-research-collective-building-an-open-source-battery-for-stationary-storage/subtitles/238468/DanielFP_KQkvdr2.vtt)